Thanet
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| Thanet District | |
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 Shown within Kent |
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| Geography | |
| Status: | District |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | Kent |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 241st 103.30 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Margate |
| ONS code: | 29UN
Area Code 01843 |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2006 est.) - Density |
Ranked 149th 128,600 1245 / km² |
| Ethnicity[1]: | 95.4% White 1.5% S.Asian 1.1% Black 1.1% Mixed Race |
| Politics | |
| Thanet District Council http://www.thanet.gov.uk/ |
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| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Conservative |
| MPs: | Roger Gale, Stephen Ladyman |
Thanet is a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974. It occupies the area known as the "Isle of Thanet" and is governed by Thanet District Council. The main towns in the district are Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
The district is located on the north eastern tip of Kent, and is predominantly coastal, with north, east and south facing coastline. The district is bordered by the City of Canterbury district to west, and the Dover district to the south.
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[edit] Political History
Because of its proximity to France and mainland Europe, Thanet received the first of the Roman invaders in 55 BC. The name 'Thanet' is corruption of the Celtic tan-arth "high fire", suggesting that there may have been a lighthouse or beacon on the island.
Thanet is notable as the place where the Romans in the time of the Emperor Claudius decided to invade in order to deliver the new Emperor a military success. Richborough at the southern end of the Wantsum Channel was where the fleet landed and where one of the largest triumphal arches in the empire was built. It provided the formal entrance to the Roman road network and Watling Street, and was situated to the north of the present Pfizer complex near Sandwich, Kent.
The Romans crossed the Channel from Boulogne, and legions with some support from elephants were sent to conquer different parts of Southern Britain, meeting stiff resistance from tribes under Caractacus and having to fight two major battles to cross the Medway near Rochester and the Thames, possibly near where the QEII bridge is today.
Following the departure of the Romans, it was in Thanet that Vortigern formed an uneasy alliance with Hengest and Horsa, by tradition chieftains of the Jutes, who led the Saxon invasion in AD 449. By the end of the fifth century, Thanet had become part of the Jutish kingdom in Kent. In this way, Thanet is a mirror of Hampshire's Isle of Wight.
St Augustine is said by the Venerable Bede to have landed with 40 men at Ebbsfleet, north of Sandwich, before founding Britain's first Christian monastery, in Canterbury.
The Vikings wintered on Thanet twice in the ninth century, in 851 and 864. The importance of Sandwich as one of the Cinque Ports in medieval times meant that no fewer than seven places on the Isle were part of the Confederation: Sarre, Birchington, St John's, Margate, St Peter's, Woodchurch and Ramsgate.
By 1334-1335 Thanet had the highest population density in Kent according to Edward III's lay subsidy rolls. It acted as a granary for Calais and documents towards the end of that century refer to turreted walls beneath the cliffs needing maintenance. Coastal erosion has long since destroyed these structures.
As the popularity of the seaside resort grew, so did that of the Isle of Thanet. At first the holidaymakers came by boat from London; after the coming of the railways in the mid 1840s, that became the preferred mode of transport. The population grew, as the following figures show:
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Margate has its roots in a name that "Has been variously spelt as Margat, Meregate and in the 13th cCentury, de Mergate. Indeed 'maris', 'mare' in Latin means, 'sea' and "gate", a way in or out of the country. Perhaps the Brooks, now the site of Dreamland, low-lying and fed by springs, did become a lake (sometimes freezing, to give the locals some skating). For another possibility, a monk of Reculver, Ymar by name, had a dying wish to be buried in St Johns Parish Church. The name "Ymar" could have become Margate in time. Tradition insists that an old stone coffin lid at the church was his.
Broadstairs is a Thanet town in East Kent, England, with a population of about 22,000. Situated between Margate and Ramsgate, it is one of the seaside resorts on the Isle of Thanet, often known as the "Jewel in Thanet's crown". Broadstairs derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon word Bradstow(e).
The Reverend Evelyn Levett Sutton, a graduate of Cambridge University, was the vicar of St. Peter's Church in the Isle of Thanet. Sutton was a prebendary of Westminster Cathedral, one of the six preachers of Canterbury Cathedral, and chaplain to the House of Commons. Sutton collapsed while reading the ninth commandment in Westminster Abbey the day before his death Jan. 26, 1835.[2]
[edit] Geographical History
It was one of the islands of chalk left when the sea broke through to form the English Channel in 6500 BC: the others are now beneath the sea. It was left separated from the mainland by what became known as the Wantsum Channel, until the deposition of silt from the River Stour along the coast joined the Isle to the mainland. Today Thanet consists of 26 miles of golden sandy beaches and grade A1 farmland, set on quick-draining chalk sub-soil.
Two thousand years ago Thanet was cut off from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, which in some places was a mile or two in width. Two branches of the Stour flowed into the Wantsum, at Plucks Gutter near to Stourmouth. At the eastern end, the Romans built a port protected by Richborough Castle; Reculver fort was at the western end.
In the eighth century it was reported that the Channel was now three furlongs wide (660 yards, 600 m), and a map of 1414 showed a ferry crossing at Sarre. The first bridge over the channel was built there in 1485. Until the mid 18th century there was a ferry between Sandwich and the island; a wooden drawbridge was built, and the ferry was closed.
The combination of those factors meant that from the 15th century there are only marshes and mudbanks through which the Stour meanders, finally reaching the sea at Sandwich. The Wantsum valley is still liable to flooding, since it is only a few feet above sea level. During the 1953 floods Thanet was cut off for a few days, but the sea defences have been strengthened since then. ¹
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"... a garden indeed, a county of corn but the labourers' houses all along, beggarly in the extreme. The people dirty, poor-looking, but particularly dirty."
—William Cobbett in 1823 when he rode to the Island[3] |
The land, where the Wantsum Channel once was, is still only a few feet above sea level, and in 1953 the island was cut off once more. The sea defences have since been strengthened since, but from the sea walls at Reculver, the low height of the land is visible.
Even today there are remains of the small harbours and quays in the villages that bordered Wantsum Channel.
The Wantsum Channel still exists and is today little more than a stream.
The main seafront ares in the towns are highly developed: from Birchington, via Westgate-on-Sea, Margate, Cliftonville, Broadstairs to Ramsgate. Where it is not built upon, the coastline is slightly higher - for example at North Foreland where the North Foreland lighthouse stands. Thanet has a 26 mile sandy coastline and many fine bays. The coastline suffers erosion as the base rock is chalk.
[edit] Name
The name Thanet is very old, as the following extract from the Historia Britonum (first written sometime shortly after AD 833) testifies:
- Then came three keels, driven into exile from Germany. In them were the brothers Horsa and Hengest... Vortigern welcomed them, and handed over to them the island that in their language is called Thanet, in British Ruoihm.
The earliest known reference to Thanet is in Ptolemy's geography of the second century. It refers to an island east of the Triovantes region as Toliapis. The name "Tenet" was listed in the Domesday book of 1086, whereas in the 18th century classical dictionary of John Lemprise it is states "Tane'tus, a small island of Albion. Ptolemy calls it Tolianis. It is now Thanet."
The word Tanatus may come from the Celtic work "teine", meaning "fire" or "bonfire" and "arth" meaning "height" and would make Thanet the Bright Island. It could well be that a lighthouse or beacon was situated on Telegraph Hill, west of Manston, one of the highest points on the island (Close to the new Prospect Inn ,Holiday Inn Express hotel). There isn't any evidence of this on the ground, and it may have been that there were several beacons arranged along the coast. For example, Beacon Road, Kingsgate, leads from the ancient town of St Peter's to the promontory upon which is now the North Foreland lighthouse.The geographical centre of Thanet is roughly at the site of The Star Inn at Westwood.
[edit] Government
Thanet District Council is held by a Conservative majority, who hold 33 seats, compared to the 19 seats held by Labour, who are the second party.[4]Thanet is in county council control by Kent County Council.
There are two MPs for Thanet:
- Roger Gale, Conservative for North Thanet,
- Stephen Ladyman, Labour MP for South Thanet.
The district was formed by the merger of:
- Margate municipal borough
- Ramsgate municipal borough
- Broadstairs urban district
- Part of Eastry Rural District.
A Thanet Rural District had existed from 1894, with the Local Government Act of the time until it was abolished in 1935 to form part of Eastry Rural District.
The district is divided into 23 wards, some of which are included in the three traditional coastal resorts of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate. The civil parishes located in the district are:
- Acol
- Birchington
- Broadstairs and St Peter's (village)
- Cliffsend
- Manston
- Minster
- Monkton
- St Nicholas at Wade and Sarre
Margate and Ramsgate are unparished areas, though there are attempts to parish Ramsgate.[5]
[edit] Transport
Railway lines enter the district from three directions:[6]
- Coastal route through Whitstable and Chatham to London
- Land route through Canterbury and Ashford (international station for Eurostar) to London
- Coastal route to Dover and Folkestone
New high speed rail links from London to Thanet will begin in December 2009, and will form part of the UK's first true high-speed commuter service, according to the South Eastern Railway Company.
The key road links are:[7]
- The A299 Thanet Way, which approaches from the North Kent coast, and eventually joins with the M2(1 hour from the M25)
- The A28 Canterbury Road, which links with the city of Canterbury through to Ashford
- The A256 which links the district to Dover
- There is an airport at Manston, formerly RAF Manston, but since renamed by its commercial operators as Kent International Airport.
- Ferry services (predominantly freight and car with passengers) are operated by Transeuropa ferries to the Continent from Port Ramsgate.[8]
[edit] Economy
The whole district suffers from seasonal unemployment, in spite of its proximity to London.[9] Contributory factors are:
- inward migration
- high numbers of old people
- low numbers of affluent people
- People on means-tested benefits: 21,400
- Children in low-income households: 6,800
- Violent crime is more frequent in Thanet than in England
[edit] Retail and commerce
Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs each have shopping centres with a mix of local and national retailers complemented by Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Westgate and Birchington.
Westwood at the centre of Thanet has seen much major development in recent years with the building of Westwood Cross shopping centre which is the home of national retailers and several restaurant chains including a Travelodge hotel. Associated development has taken place around the shopping centre spawning other retail parks.
[edit] Demographics
From the United Nations Statistics Division, conducted in 1996 gives the population as 125,543, made up of 59,567 males and 65,976 females.[10]
[edit] Health
Thanet has a large hospital: the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, known as the QEQM.
Overall indicators of health are poor for Thanet.[11]
- Life expectancy is increasing but on average is less than for England
- Teenage pregnancies are high compared to the England average
- Estimated smoking rates are high as are death rates from smoking
- Early deaths from cancer are higher than the England average
- Healthy eating, physical activity, and adult obseity are similar to the national average
- Binge drinking is below the national average
- Higher than average number of people admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific conditions
- Higher than average rate of diabetes
- Higher than average rate of mental health problems
[edit] Climate
- Thanet has a mild maritime climate with the surrounding sea providing a source of warmth during the winter months.
- Thanet generally enjoys temperatures higher than the national average.
[edit] Media
- Local newspapers are the Thanet Extra, part of the Kent Messenger group, Thanet Adscene, Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times, all owned by Trinity Mirror. The area is also covered by three Kent on Sunday, KOS titles on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday Your Thanet.
- Local radio stations are Kmfm previously known as (Thanet Local Radio) owned by Kent Messenger group, the county-wide Invicta FM, and BBC Radio Kent.
- Local regional ITV1 service is provided currently by Meridian broadcasting.
- The Regional news programme from the BBC is called South East Today
[edit] The future
- The area has recently seen massive development at Westwood with the construction of a shopping centre, Westwood Cross, with associated retail development including accommodation, restaurants, a casino and entertainment venues. This has spawned additional retail development on its fringe with the construction of additional retail parks.
- Plans have been prepared to build an art centre in Margate, the Turner Contemporary, as part of a regeneration of the entire town.
- The London Array offshore windfarm is expected to be completed by 2009 near to North Foreland, Margate. The project is expected to have a total capacity of up to 300 MW which, on average, is sufficient to supply approximately 240,000 homes per year with green energy. The project will thus make a significant contribution to the Government’s national and regional renewable energy targets.
- Dreamland Margate on the seafront is currently in consultation and a Heritage Amusement Park is hoped to be developed around The Scenic Railway which is the oldest roller coaster in the UK and the third oldest in the world. In 2002 the ride became a Grade II listed building - the first UK amusement park attraction to achieve this status. It recently suffered a fire and it's future is in doubt.
- Thanet District Council has introduced an empty property initiative and has compulsory purchased empty and derelict buildings with the objective of bringing them back into use.
- Building starts on Ramsgate seafront on the former Ramsgate Pleasure Park site in 2008. The new development will mix residential with leisure and retail.
- The Lido site in Cliftonville is due to be redeveloped in 2008 by the same company that has redeveloped the former Sea Bathing Hospital in Westbrook.
- A new community centre is planned for Broadstairs.
- Plans have been submitted to relocate Thanet College to a new purpose built campus at Westwood, Broadstairs.
- The Prospect Inn site at Monkton has been being redeveloped into a new Holiday Inn Express Hotel,preserving and extending the existing building.
- High speed rail links from London to Thanet will begin in December 2009, and will form part of the UK's first true high-speed commuter service, according to the South Eastern Railway Company.
- Thanet Earth will see the largest greenhouse development in the uk covering an area of 91 hectares with 7 greenhouses each the size of 7 football pitches.
- Ongoing expansion of the QEQM hospital in Margate.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=277012&c=thanet&d=13&e=13&g=460237&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1207929831446&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812
- ^ source
- ^ Literature and Place: William Cobbett
- ^ 2007 Election Results. Thanet District Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
- ^ Parish and town Council function. Ramsgate First Group. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
- ^ National Rail Network London and South East. Network Rail. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
- ^ Map of Thanet key road links. Multimap.
- ^ TransEuropa Ferries. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
- ^ http://www.communityhealthprofiles.info/profiles/hp2007/lo_res/29UN-HP2007.pdf
- ^ a survey
- ^ http://www.communityhealthprofiles.info/profiles/hp2007/lo_res/29UN-HP2007.pdf
[edit] External links
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